Greater New Orleans

Mr. Do It All

Some players elect to hold off on the recruiting talk while they focus on their seasons. Others are willing to sneak a peak at the recruiting scene, but they hide from the media because they do not want to be bothered.

Some guys are willing to discuss their recruitment, but they do not interact with other recruits. It seems as if they hesistate to put too much on their plates, or at least what appears to be more than they can handle.

Then there are the unique players. Those are the players that are media friendly, scholars in the classroom, leaders on the field, and begin assiting their future teams before they take one step onto the field. At times they seem like they can do it all. Those are the players that usually leave a legacy at their chosen university while finding a career at the next level as well.

LSU has found its diamond in the rough in the nation's number one prospect Russell Shepard. Shepard has conducted pregame, post-game, preseason and postseason interviews both with the media and the guys he believes will help his future team (recruits). He hits the books in the classroom and and blows snot-bubbles at practice day-in and day-out. In his brief spare time he gives back to the community by being a board member for the Oliver Foundation (non-profit organization for kids dealing with obesity).

Everyday is a constructive one for the rising star and this weekend was no different as he led his team to a stunning 42-32 victory over Lufkin High School in the second round of the playoffs. Shepard finished the game with a whopping 323 yards on the ground with five touchdowns while adding another 87 yards through the air.

Russell Shepard (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

Lufkin's Head Coach John Outlaw could not believe his eyes as Shepard took control of the game single-handily. Outlaw told the Lufkin Daily News Shepard looked like 'a man among boys'.

No one could argue against that assessment, except for Shepard as he remains humble. In the moments where he could say look at me and look what I did, he prefers to turn the spotlight on his teammates. It is just his nature.

""It was a fun game," Shepard stated. "It wasn't easy. Lufkin has an amazing team and they're usually mentioned as one of Texas's top three high school teams year-in and year-out. We just came out with a good scheme and it worked.

"Every play I scored on was a play that our entire offense executed," Shepard added. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates. Lufkin probably has the best defensive line in the state of Texas and our offensive line did an amazing job of blocking. Our receivers caught the ball, ran their routes well, and did a good job of blocking too. It was a team win."

Most players would have been exhausted after rushing for 323 yards and escaping the grasp of five-star defensive tackle JaMarkus McFarland all game long, but not Shepard. Being the do-it-all that he his, he was still lobbying for McFarland to come to LSU in his own way after the game.

JaMarkus McFarland (Photo courtesy of PrepTicket.com)

It was reported McFarland eliminated LSU from his top two, but Shepard refuses to give up on his pursuit of landing the nation's top recruiting class. The five-star gunslinger understands McFarland would be a perfect fit to the remainder of LSU's recruiting puzzle. Some players would turn their back on McFarland after hearing his top two teams did not include LSU, but that is not Shepard's style.

"I'm hoping he'll change his mind and reconsider coming to LSU," Shepard continued. "We talked a little after the game and we've been talking all day today (Sunday). He's been giving me some advice on how to keep things going in order for us to advance in the playoffs."

To some it may seem like harmless chatter. It may seem like Shepard is simply receiving some helpful pointers for his team to succeed in the playoffs, but you better believe Shepard is working his magic. Why would Shepard need advice on how to win from someone on a team he just dismantled?

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Aside from the playoff talk, school, practice, interviews, and the Oliver Foundation, Shepard continues to monitor the recruiting scene and he admitted to being impressed with two of LSU's latest commitments.

"I love it," Shepard stated on the Tigers latest recruiting fortunes. "I fell in love with Dominque Allen when I watched him on film. I was very impressed with what I saw. Its unbelievable for him to be that big and to be able to move with his feet like he does.

"And Lamin Barrow looks like he is an amazing player too," Shepard continued. "I think it was a good move to get a player from that area that is from inside of the state. It is good to get guys like that because they know the tradition of LSU. Sometime you get guys from out-of-state and they do not understand what LSU football is all about."

"I think Rueben has an ambition to travel," Shepard stated. "A lot of guys that are from small towns are like that and Bastrop is not that big of a town. I think his mom and dad want him to weigh his options and not to make his decision too early. I'm just hoping when it's all said and done he'll pick the purple and gold."

In the news on Monday, it seems a handful of recruits still have LSU among their favorites, according the The State (Columbia, S.C.).

On Monday, The State listed Greenwood, S.C. defensive Sam Montgomery still hasLSU on his list of schools to visit. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) running back Travis Ward said he is still hearing from LSU regularly and Sanford (Fla.) defensive end Dyron Dye is apparently down to LSU and Miami as his collegiate choices.

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One of the nation's top uncommitted prospects recently saw his prep career come to an end.

Jarvis Jones, a 6-4, 210-pound linebacker from Columbus (Ga.), underwent season ending surgery on an injured thumb. The Atlanta Journal Counstitution's Super 11 standout must now watch his Carver High School team go on in the playoffs without him.

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Some in-state LSU commitments were playing in playoff games of their own. Here are their results from over the weekend.

Game 1: Leesville running back Michael Ford gave it his all while rushing for 299 yards, but it was not enough as his team fell to Zachary, 21-19.

Game 2: A pair of future teammates went head-to-head as Kenny Bell and Carneal Ainsworth squared off. Ainsworth's team got the better of Rayville as they won in style, 42-19. Now hopefully Bell and Ainsworth can be friends again.